Prime Minister virtually flags off 25 electric buses for Chandigarh

TNNChandigarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off 25 electric buses for the city of Chandigarh from Guwahati under the PM e-Bus Sewa scheme on Saturday.
The ministry of housing and urban affairs sanctioned 428 buses for Chandigarh under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme. For the first lot of 100 buses, Convergence Energy Services Limited, under the ministry of housing and urban affairs, invited an e-tender to hire buses for the city. The UT administration signed an agreement at Rs 61.80 per km. Under the hiring model, procurement, maintenance and operation will be done by the operator, while the department will collect fare revenue.In line with the administration's efforts towards providing green transport, 80 electric buses are in operation in Chandigarh. With 25 buses flagged off on Saturday, total of 105 buses will be in operation in Chandigarh. After delivery of the remaining 75 buses, there will be 180 electric buses by the end of April/May 2026.The newly-inducted 12-metre low-floor, air-conditioned electric buses have a range of 224 km on a single charge. Key features include a 400mm low floor for easy boarding, especially for senior citizens, children and women; a power-operated ramp and electronically controlled kneeling mechanism for divyangjan commuters; seating capacity of 36 passengers plus driver and wheelchair space, with a standing capacity of 20 passengers; air suspension at the front and rear; disc brakes at the front; passenger information displays at the front, side and rear; and voice-enabled next-stop announcements.For enhanced safety and monitoring, the buses are equipped with people-counting cameras on both doors, five CCTV cameras (including passenger area, driver behaviour, reverse and dashboard views), AIS-140-compliant GPS devices, panic buttons integrated with the command control centre of the state transport authority, and stop-request buttons for passenger convenience.BOX1: 508 e-buses by 2027-2028"Chandigarh administration remains committed to promoting green and eco-friendly public transport. By the end of FY 2027–28, all diesel buses operating within the Tricity area will be replaced with electric buses," said a UT spokesperson.In addition, 70 more buses will be added to strengthen the fleet. This will take the total number of electric buses in Chandigarh to 508, significantly reducing carbon emissions, improving urban mobility and enhancing the quality of life for citizens.BOX2: Routes of newly-added fleet — Route No. 22 – ISBT-43 to IT Park and vice versa— Route No. 30A – ISBT-43 to Cantonment and vice versa — Route No. 240 – ISBT-43 to Mata Mansa Devi via Sector 43/44 and Kisan Bhawan and vice versa — Route No. 241 – ISBT-43 to Mata Mansa Devi via Sector 52/53 and YPS Chowk and vice versa MSID:: 128350029 413 |